Balance
by Amela333
Summary: Those who show nothing but strength are merely hiding weakness...
1. Prologue

**IMPORTANT!: **Written prior to the release of _The Saga of Larten Crepsley_. At the time I wrote this, almost nothing had yet been revealed about Arra past, Arrow, or any of the characters in the story.. Therefore, consider it extremely AU, though it was not intended to be so.

**Disclaimer: **Not Darren Shan, don't own _Cirque du Freak/__The Darren Shan Saga._

**Author's Note: **Hey! First off, thanks for reading! This story's going to be in three parts, hopefully all will be up soon :). I appreciate any feedback, and it would be super-awesome if you review and tell me what you think!

**Warnings: **I don't actually think it deserves warnings, 'cause there isn't anything graphic or gory or whatever, but I'm paranoid, so just so you know (and if you're thinking "I really don't care", you may not want to read this because it could kinda give some stuff away)**:** It's not a light or fluffy story, and it does have some mention of child abuse, some violence, and death. I think a "T" rating is certainly sufficient, as I would suggest it for 13+.

* * *

For fifteen years, my mentor Arrow and I traveled inseparably. He was a vampire, and I, Arra Sails, was his assistant, a half-vampire. Arrow wasn't just a regular vampire, he was a vampire General, which meant he had special duties, like tracking down enemies. I was proud to be his assistant, and he was proud to be my mentor. He said we made the perfect team – he was tough and strong; a fighter, and I was smart and quick. He took me with him whenever he went on a mission, and every time I would come up with an infallible plan, and he would carry it out perfectly, and when he didn't, I was always able to pick up the slack.

I respected and admired Arrow for his determination and strength of character. In many ways, he was the father I always wanted; one that I wouldn't someday run away, like I had from my own father.

When I was fifteen, my mother left our house and never came back. One evening, she told me goodnight, and when I woke up in the morning, she and all her belongings were gone. The man at the store in town said that she'd come in the day before and gotten a large travelling bag. I suspect she got on a boat and left the country. I didn't blame her. Not long after, I did the same. I got on a carriage and asked the driver to take me into the city. When I told him I didn't have any money, he said there were things other than money I could give him in exchange for the ride. When I asked what he wanted, he smiled and said I would find out when we arrived at our destination that night. Unfortunately, I did. It was the first of many such arrangements I would be forced to make while on my own. I needed to to survive.

For many months, I was allowed to live in the basement of a man named Mr. Robertson – that was all I was ever allowed to call him. He treated me badly. The way he spoke to me reminded me of why I ran away from home in the first place, only his abuse didn't stop at verbal. I, barely sixteen, was his source of dirty income. I was miserable. I tried to run from him a couple times too, but each time he caught me. He would drag me back and beat me till I couldn't move for days. I learned that I would end up in worse shape if I ran than if I stayed and endured whoever he sold me off to.

One night, Mr. Robertson shook me roughly awake and ordered me upstairs with him immediately. I saw a greedy, hungry look in his eye, and spotted a large sum of money in his pocket. I felt a familiar shiver run up my spine, but I deftly ignored it and followed him.

Upstairs in the sitting room, a large man dressed in an entirely black suit with a shaved head was waiting for me. I cringed slightly at the sight of him, but Mr. Robertson shove me forward regardless, of course. I muttered something at him under my breath, always a mistake. I knew it was only going to get me in trouble – it had many times in the past – yet I still did it. I don't know why. It was my nature to fight back, even in the insignificant way of grumbling my displeasure to Mr. Robertson. He grabbed me by my hair, pulling me back and asking me to repeat what I had said. That's when the man in front of us shook his head and put a hand up, a commanding look in his dark eyes. Mr. Robertson, always willing to please a "customer", released me immediately.

"Are you all right, Arra?" the man asked me. His voice was deep and calming, not the way I was used to being talked to. I nodded, brushing my dark hair over my shoulder and stepped away from Mr. Robertson.

"Forgive me, sir," Mr. Robertson said, smiling an underhanded and sly smile, the type that made my stomach lurch. "Been in the business a long time; trick is to keep them in line."

The man looked at him solemnly for a second, then, to my surprise, smiled tightly. "I suppose that attitude doesn't surprise me," he said evenly. "You see," he took off his jacket and draped it over a chair, "I've been watching you for several weeks now."

"Really?" Mr. Robertson said, frowning. I could see that he was getting concerned.

The man slid off his black gloves to reveal muscular, yet scarred, hands. "Yes," he nodded. "I've been watching you, and more importantly, Arra, for a while now."

For a moment, the man looked at Mr. Robertson, and Mr. Robertson stared blankly back at him. Then, without warning, the man seemingly disappeared from his spot across the room and reappeared next to me. I jumped slightly in shock, only to realize with a start that his hands were clamped around Mr. Robertson's throat. At first, I stared at the scene in front of me, paralyzed by fear. Then, more out of instinct that anything, I screamed. I picked up a pan off the stove and swung it at him. It didn't faze him in the slightest, in fact, he seemed to tighten his choke, lifting Mr. Robertson off the ground. If he was doing this to Mr. Robertson, I couldn't imagine what he was going to do to me. Part of me wanted to run, but another larger part wanted to stay and fight, not because I cared about Mr. Robertson, but because, as I said, it was my personality. I picked up a chair and swung it at his back. This time, as it smashed on his shoulder blades, he spun around, dropping Mr. Robertson. It may not have made an impact at all, and may have been coincidence that he dropped him, because a quick glance at Mr. Robertson's still body and blue face on the floor told me he was dead.

That's when I began to run. I got barely ten steps before the man's hands gripped my shoulders and turned me around, and though I struggled to get free of him, I couldn't help but notice a kind look in his eyes.

"Arra..." he began, a gentle smile appearing on his face. I screamed and kick at his shin, trying again and again to pull away from his grasp. Then, without so much as a movement or a flicker, I blacked out.

When I came to, I was laid out on an unfamiliar couch. I sat up and looked around nervously, finally spotting the man who had killed Mr. Robertson. He was sitting across from me on a stool, back in his black coat and gloves, his arms folded across his chest. I couldn't tell exactly where we were, but judging by the small size of the room and the cot in the corner, it seemed like a bedroom for guests in a tavern.

The man and I looked at each other in silence for a moment, and I wondered what in the name of God was going on. At first, I was sure he was going to kill me, but as he gave me another one of his warm smiles, I had my doubts.

"You passed out," he said, answering my unasked question.

"Why?" I asked stiffly, checking my head for a bump. I didn't feel a throbbing or an ache like I had been hit.

"You seemed very nervous," he said. "I thought perhaps it would be better to bring you into a different environment where you may feel more comfortable."

"But why'd I pass out?" I asked, still confused.

He chuckled, "Let's call it a special ability of mine."

I still didn't understand, but it didn't seen quite the appropriate time to ask a lot of questions.

"My name is Arrow," he said, crossing over the room to sit next to me on the sofa. "I'm sure you'd like to know what's going on. First, please don't be afraid of me. My intentions are not, and never were, to hurt you."

"Then what are you doing here?" I asked hoarsely, edging away from him.

"I'm here to help you, Arra Sails," he said, smiling. "Perhaps things will become clearer if I start from the beginning. You see, I'm a vampire."

This was the conversation that would change my life forever.

I never asked Arrow why he rescued me from Mr. Robertson, and he never asked me why I was so eager to join him as a vampire as opposed to returning to my father, and as was his initial intention. We were both just happy to have each other.

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I hope you liked it; please review with any comments, criticism, etc. Thanks again for reading =)!


	2. Part I

**Disclaimer: **See prologue

**A/N: **Okay, three things:

1) Thanks so much for all the really nice reviews, I'm glad you're enjoying this thus far :)!

2) I decided to make the last part I wrote for this the prologue because I really want to do it in three parts, but if that counted as the first, then the other two were going to end up being insanely long, and therefore _that _is now the prologue which means that _this _is Part I. Not that any of you probably noticed or care, but just saying...;).

3) For any of you who read "The Fourth Hunter", sorry about the lack of updates, and I promise to work very hard on getting it updated soon - I've been pretty swamped lately, but I'll try my very best :).

Well, that's all for now, enjoy!

* * *

After fifteen years as Arrow's half-vampire assistant, Paris Skyle, a Vampire Prince, sent us to a city not far from the mountain to hunt down a young vampire who had seemingly gone mad, and was feeding like a vampaneze, killing many of the city's inhabitants. One of our friends, Seba Nile, had blooded the vampire, a man named Chordon, a month ago under unusual circumstances. Because of that, Seba had chosen to make him a full vampire immediately, almost always a bad idea. As was usually the case with someone being fully blooded at once, Chordon became annoyed with his mentor after several weeks and fled. As a result, he likely unknowingly drank blood from a cat or something else poisonous to us, which left him insane and craving more blood from humans that he could safely drink. Unfortunately, we would have to kill him, there was nothing else we could do.

Seba Nile, who had at the time been a very high-ranking General, was being punished dearly, something that I – though I would never say it – thought was wrong. Seba had in the first place blooded Chordon to save his life; he was a soldier, badly wounded when Seba found him, and being only half-blooded wouldn't save his life. Seba had had a trial in front of the Princes, and though everyone agreed that it was noble act and Chordon was the one who had made a foolish mistake, there were laws in place that no one could, or would, overlook. As Paris recalled (and his memory was as sharp as anyone's), the law stated that if a vampire bloods someone "irresponsibly", and it leads to death of humans or other vampires within a month of their blooding, they will be put to death. The time period was close; Seba escaped the month time frame by three short nights, and so as a punishment, Seba was demoted from General. Seba was a proud vampire and never hung his head. He willingly admitted his error and stepped down without hesitation.

Later, during the day hours when the full vampires had gone to bed, I went for a walk around the mountain with three other half-vampires; Gavner Purl, assistant to one of the oldest vampires, a Prince named Umbri Savant; Larten Crepsley, Seba's loyal assistant, and Kurda Smahlt.

"I don't think it's fair that they're demoting Seba," Kurda said; I had known he would be the first to whine.

"Neither do I, but it's the Princes' decision, and that's what Sire Skyle says has to be done," I told him. He opened his mouth to complain some more, but Gavner raised his hand to silence him.

"She's right, Kurda," he said, giving his large nose a sniffle. "We have to respect the Princes' decision. Besides..." he lowered his voice and we all crept closer to hear him, "I overheard Umbri and Paris talking, and they were saying that perhaps it would be appropriate to make Seba quartermaster. After all, he knows the halls as well as anyone, and it's a respected position to hold."

"It is," Larten said, nodding, his red hair blowing in the slight breeze.

"How's Seba really feeling?" Kurda asked. "He can't be as okay with this as he's acting."

"He is upset, of course," Larten said slowly. "He has not told me directly, but I believe that he is more disappointed in himself for making a mistake and blooding Chordon when he shouldn't have."

"'Should not have'," Gavner, Kurda, and I corrected in unison, and Larten sighed dismally. He was still struggling to adopt Seba's way of speaking, but his ears had become so inflamed and tender-looking from his punishments that we had taken pity on him and were now all helping with it.

"Well," Kurda said, starting to walk again, "someday, when I become a Prince, I'm going to change the laws so they aren't so dumb."

I snorted and gave Kurda a playful shove, and he stumbled into the cavern wall. "Kurda, if you get nominated for Prince, there's no way in hell I'm voting for you."

"No surprise there," he said snippily, brushing himself off. "Still refusing to shake my hand?"

"Yes," I nodded. "When you willingly battle me in the Hall of Games, I'll shake your hand."

"Don't feel bad, Kurda," Gavner said, smiling. "I've fought her, and she won't shake mine either."

"You're tougher," I said, grinning evilly at him. "You have to _beat me _in the Hall of Games for me to shake your hand."

He brushed me off, "The only hands you shake are of Princes and Generals."

"And mine," Larten piped in, and I saw Gavner and Kurda exchange glances.

"Gee, I wonder why that is?" Gavner said quietly into my ear, and I kicked him in the shin, blushing.

"If that's all it takes, I'll fight you tomorrow," he said, returning his voice to normal volume. "Let's wrestle. I'm three times your size, I'm bound to win one in fifty."

"I'd like to see you try," I said coolly, "but Arrow and I are going to hunt down Chordon."

"Oh yeah," Gavner said, then chuckled. "Thank the Vampire Gods for that, I didn't want to fight you anyway, Arra."

I grinned. "I should go back to my room, we're leaving early tomorrow night."

"Oh, okay," Gavner said. "See you later!"

"Good luck!" Kurda chimed in.

"Thanks," I said, turning to head back through the tunnel again.

"Be careful," Larten called after me. I turned to give him a smile, then uncomfortably looked down at the ground and jogged around the tunnel corner and out of sight.

-----

An inexperienced vampire isn't difficult to track. Arrow didn't know how to read, but I was able to pick up some of the human newspapers and find out an awful lot that would help in catching Chordon. First, all the deaths were occurring within a mile of each other, so we knew his approximate area. Second, the victims had all been found three days apart from one another, and none were hidden thoroughly. This meant that we had an idea of when he'd attack next. Third, Chordon seemed to be targeting young people; all the victims were under twenty-five years old.

With that knowledge under our belts, we were able to hone in on Chordon within a week. We followed him to a small house on the outskirts of the city, where we closed in and quickly killed him. I couldn't help but feel guilty as I helped Arrow bury the body. I didn't mention it to him; he never agreed with me when my remaining humanity took over my emotions.

We were prepared to leave the city the next night when, in my opinion, the story really began. Eager to return to the mountain to report back to the Princes, we left as soon as the sun went down. Because it was the winter months, it was still early, and the city was buzzing with activity. We could have flitted out, avoiding the people, but we decided to walk to the city limits before taking off. It was one of the those things I would look back on and regret, saying to myself, "If only...". There was absolutely no reason _why_ we didn't flit – it seemed a cruel act of destiny that we took a leisurely pace, allowing ourselves to start off a damned reaction, as if a child were dropping a marble down a marble track with a pit of lava at the bottom.

We were near the edge of the city now, and everything had thinned out. There were no longer large buildings or crowds of people. Every now and then we would pass a stray human as they walked to their houses or one of the few stores around.

As we rounded a wide corner, we heard a shrill scream, and immediately we tensed, alert to any danger. When the scene before us came into view, I relaxed slightly. A human woman was standing perfectly still, shaking on the spot, as a man dressed in dark colors sprinted off down the street clutching a handbag. Usually we didn't help humans with petty matters like burglary, but once again, we found ourselves acting in an unusual way that night. I tore after the man, and with my vampiric speed soon caught up with him. I reached a hand out and easily ripped the purse out of his hand. He turned, and with a decent amount of restraint so as not to seriously injure him, I punched him across the face. I was careful not to brush him with my fingernails – if I had, I could have done some damage. He let out a howl like a wounded dog and ran. I didn't bother chasing after him; I had a feeling that whatever bone I had felt break under my fist would serve as a reminder to not try thieving again.

I turned to return the handbag to the young woman behind me, and saw that she was weeping in Arrow's arms. I sighed; human emotions were set off so easily. I tapped my foot on the ground as the woman continued to cry. She looked no older than twenty, in fact, she looked about as old as I did, even though I was around to thirty in actual years (about thirty; I was starting to lose track – it was a little confusing to look in the mirror and see someone who looked nineteen or twenty and remember how long ago you were actually born).

After almost three more minutes of watching the girl cry, I was starting to grow impatient. I gave Arrow an ominous look, but he shook his head slightly and held his hand up, motioning for me to remain silent. Then he grinned slightly and winked. I groaned quietly and rolled my eyes; Arrow was known to take the occasional interest in a pretty young lady. He was certainly one of the better-looking vampires, so I could see why women usually returned his affection. I never minded these flirtations, unless, as was the case here, it stood in the way of getting a job done.

Finally, I stalked towards them, ignoring Arrow's fervent head-shaking and mouthed threats.

"Here," I said, tapping the girl on the shoulder and holding the handbag out to her. I wasn't being insensitive to her situation, but after all it had been nearly ten minutes since we had tracked down her mugger and gotten her purse back.

She turned her head against Arrow's chest to glance at the purse in my outstretched hand.

"Thanks," she sniffed, taking it from me and promptly dropping it to the ground. I didn't bother to stifle my groan as she buried her face and began sobbing again.

"Well," I said in a final tone, "would you like us to walk you home?"

She nodded.

"All right then," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder and pulling her off of Arrow. "Tell us where it is, and we'll get you there safely."

When she continued to cry, I added in what was truly my warmest voice, "You'll be okay."

She nodded again and murmured, "Thanks."

Then Arrow put his arm around her shoulder and she began walking at what must have been the slowest pace every taken by humankind. I shook my head irritatedly and followed behind them.

Though I thought we would never make it back to her house by sunrise, we did. Arrow brought her inside (I opted to wait outdoors), stayed several minutes, and then exited her small residence, looking pleased with himself.

"There," he said, patting me on the shoulder as I gave him a disgruntled look. "Now, doesn't it feel good to help poor, defenseless humans every now and then?"

When I gave him a look, he sighed and waved me off with a hand. "Arra, Arra, Arra...how many times have you told me that I should be more concerned with the feelings of individuals in distress?"

I recalled saying that to him more often when I was a newer vampire, though I didn't bother to point this out.

"I don't mean staying out till the bloody sun comes up," I grumbled, stepping in behind him as he began to jog down the narrow street. "And I would hardly say she was overly distressed."

"She seemed positively terrified!" he said incredulously.

"Forget it," I said, rolling my eyes. I reached up and rapped my knuckles firmly on the side of his head. "There's no getting through; your head's harder than the walls of the Hall of Princes."

He chuckled and came to a stop as we reached the end of the road. "If we flit from here to the beginning of the trail to the mountain, we should reach it by daybreak."

I highly doubted that, but I had done enough grumbling for the night.

-----

Upon our return to the mountain, Arrow immediately asked to speak with Paris and Umbri, the most senior Princes. Soon after, he informed me that he would be leaving Vampire Mountain for several weeks, and I was to stay here under the care of Seba Nile until he returned. I thought this was unusual, as he almost always traveled with me, but I didn't complain or ask why he was leaving me behind. When I asked where he was going, he replied, "Not far."

When Arrow returned over a month later, he carried joyous news - he had gotten married. Three guesses who.

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Thanks for reading, please feel free to review with any comments :).


	3. Part II

**Disclaimer: **See prologue

**A/N: **Thanks for reading and reviewing!! Here goes Part II...

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_Three years later..._

I was sitting on a hard, wooden chair at a matching table. It was around nine o'clock at night, and I was drumming my fingers nervously on the pine surface in front of me. Occasionally, I would look across the table at Elizabeth, who was adamantly refusing to acknowledge that I was there. She had been like this ever since I came into her life...correction: ever since she came into my life.

After Arrow had returned to the mountain to announce his marriage, he immediately wanted to talk about how this would affect me. Of course, I was nothing but elated for him and his new-found happiness. Though I had initially found his wife annoying that fateful day when our paths crossed, I assumed that it was because I hadn't really gotten to know her, and I was sure that when I did, I would like her very much; after all, my mentor had picked her, like he had picked me. Arrow said that if I would rather stay at the mountain, he thought I possessed enough knowledge about the vampire way of life that he could make me a full vampire and leave me here of my own accord. He also said that he would be happy to still have me as his assistant. After all, he had said, he was still a vampire General with vampire duties, and we made a perfect team. I personally didn't feel ready to be a full vampire; though I knew so much about the vampire way of life, the thought of being alone scared me. But I didn't want to say this to Arrow and make him feel pressured.

"What would you rather do?" I asked. "You're my mentor after all, you should make the decision."

He smiled. "I'd like you to stay with me for as long as you want to."

And so, a couple days later, we left the mountain again and returned to the city we had just left. That was where we would live from now on. Of course Arrow had told his new wife that we were vampires. I couldn't help but wonder how she took the news at first (I got the impression she wasn't exactly the bravest sole), but Arrow said that she was able to look past it, and accepted the fact that they would never be able to have children.

When Elizabeth and I met, I made a commitment to ignore any of her faults – an effort she didn't return. Slowly, I began to lose patience with this, and after a year-and-a-half we were getting along with the affinity of a cat and a mouse. I realized that the only thing I really liked about her was that she made Arrow happy, and I was willing to let everything else go in light of this. She wasn't a bad person, in fact, she seemed nice enough to everyone but me. I never knew exactly why she didn't like me, though I supposed it had something to do with the fact that Arrow and I knew each other better than she knew her own husband. Though I was about fifteen years older than her, I now looked slightly younger, which didn't help. Arrow and I loved each other like father and daughter, nothing more, but she would never believe that that was all. I overheard her on many occasions begging him to demand that I leave. Every time, he would ask why, and she would come up with flimsy, non-existent reasons. He told her that if any of those things were really bothered her, she should talk to me, because I was willing to compromise with her in order for us to get along better. She never did; she seemed to prefer ignoring me.

I felt sorry for Arrow. He was torn, trying so hard for me and Elizabeth to get along. Sometimes I considered leaving just for the sake of them, and I would have if Arrow hadn't insisted that I stay. He said he needed me there to help him with his duties as a General.

As I sat at the kitchen table, I didn't think of any of that; pondering on it certainly wouldn't help anything. The sun had set nearly forty-five minute ago, which meant Arrow would be awake soon.

Tiring of tapping on the table, I stood up and flipped my chair onto its back, so that the front edge of the seat was facing the ceiling parallel to the ground. Slipping my shoes off, I carefully stepped up on the narrow edge and put my arms out to steady myself. My toes twitched, and the balls of my feet pressed down as hard as possible, stabilizing me. I had been doing this every day for three years. Arrow said I needed to work on my balance, because my feet were small.

"It's a miracle you can walk and stand," he had chided me on many occasions. I used to practice on the bars in Vampire Mountain during the day with Larten, when everyone else was asleep. He never challenged me to a fight; I supposed it was because he knew I would lose. I could floor any half-vampire (and several full vampires) in seconds in any other game in the hall, or fight outside it, but put me on the bars and I would wobble till I slipped and fell to the ground.

But I was slowly getting much better; I had balanced for well over three minutes when movement outside the window caught the corner of my eye. I leaped off the chair and went to the window, pressing my head against the glass pane. It was summer time, and the warmth made my throbbing headache relax.

The house was built facing a tall hill. When a bird would fly up from behind this hill, it wouldn't slowly glide into view as things usually do, but instead appear to pop up over the peek, suddenly so near to us. This was the same with people, or, as I was about to experience, vampires. A familiar man had appeared on the top of the hill. I recognized him immediately, and with a jolt of excitement, I ran to the front door and burst out of the house, banging the door behind me, eager to meet him halfway down the hill.

"Vanez!" I exclaimed, running up to him and throwing my arms around him.

"Arra Sails," he said, chuckling and patting me on the back. Other than my close friends, the other half-vampires at Vampire Mountain, Vanez was the person I missed the most. I had spent countless hours in his company, eating up whatever advice he could give me on fighting. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too!" I said, pulling away from him and beckoning for him to follow me down to the house. "What brings you here?"

When he didn't answer immediately, I felt the smile slide off my face. When I turned and saw his serious expression, I inwardly melted, fearing bad news. "What is it?" I asked fretfully. "What happened?"

He shook his head and sighed. "It would be best to wait until we are inside," he said. "Is Arrow awake?"

I was about to answer that no, he wasn't, but before I could, Arrow himself appeared in the front door. He had most likely awoken when he heard the door slam. He still looked tired and slightly dazed, but a grin appeared on his face as his eyes came to rest on the game's master.

"Vanez," he said, extending a hand.

Vanez shook it, giving him a brief, forced smile. "Arrow," he returned. "Mind if I come in?"

"Of course not," Arrow said, holding the door for him. I followed Vanez into the kitchen and gestured for him to sit down. I saw a horrified look cross Elizabeth's face as she stared at the empty socket on half of Vanez's head. She had come in contact with very few vampires, and Vanez was the first one she had met who was missing any facial features or body parts.

He watched in silence as Arrow and I sat at the table, then, with a grim look on his face, made his announcement. With a heavy sigh, he said glumly, "Umbri Savant is dead."

Arrow bowed his head and I felt my shoulders droop with sadness. Umbri had been old, but the last time I had seen him, he had been as lively and youthful as ever. I immediately thought of Gavner, who was only a little older than me, and was now left without his mentor, his closest friend. I looked sadly up at Vanez, who shook his head. "That isn't all. Two days ago, he was killed by vampaneze."

At this, Arrow and I sat up straighter in our chairs; for a vampaneze to kill a vampire Prince was unheard – a terrible offense.

"How did it happen?" Arrow asked, his voice hollow.

"He was leaving the mountain, the first time in decades, traveling this way. We didn't know why, he said it was on Princely duties. After a while, we couldn't locate him with the stone of blood, and all mental traces of him had vanished. We were able to accept him as dead, but Gavner, being his assistant, wanted to locate him for closure, and so Seba, Larten, and I volunteered to travel with him to check the areas near Vampire Mountain. Unfortunately we found his body late last night about fifty miles from here. The area reeked of vampaneze, and several hours later, our suspicions were confirmed. We spotted four of them heading this way."

Arrow got hastily to his feet, nearly causing the table to spill over. "Did you attack?"

Vanez sighed. "We were all eager to. You are forgetting that as none of us are Generals, we did not have the authority. That's the main reason I'm here, to not only ask for your permission, but your assistance."

Arrow nodded and frowned, deep in thought. He was the one who would have to make the final decision. "You said there were four of them?"

"We saw four; there may be more, though I doubt it."

"If they will willingly kill a vampire Prince, they will no doubt kill more of us. Where are Seba, Larten, and Gavner?"

"Just over that hill," Vanez said, jerking his thumb out towards the front of the house, "on look out."

Arrow heaved a sigh. "You are all armed?"

"Yes."

With that, Arrow turned and walked swiftly from the kitchen. Elizabeth watched him, her brow furrowed; I wondered if she knew what was going on. If I'd thought we had time, I would have tried to explain it.

Seconds later, Arrow returned, now with two knives in his hands and a sword in his belt. "How far away are they now?"

"They were moving slowly," Vanez said, standing. "I can't imagine they're closer than twenty miles from here. The path they were taking, if indeed they are going to pass through this area, is surrounded by rocky cliffs and rivers; there isn't much lead way to stray, and so it shouldn't be hard to find them."

Arrow turned to Elizabeth. "Darling," he said, walking slowly over to her and taking her hand. "We must take you somewhere else. Somewhere safe."

"No!" she said shrilly, clapping a hand to her mouth. "This is our home! I can't leave."

"Elizabeth..."

"NO!" she shrieked, tears starting to stream down her face. I suppressed a groan and leaned back in my chair, rolling my eyes. Vanez was observing the situation with a look of utmost interest; he likely hadn't seen this type of human foolishness for close to a century.

"I d...don't want to l...leave," she stammered in between sobs. "I can't...I just c...can't. I'm safe here."

Arrow considered her for several seconds, concern and uncertainty in his eyes. Finally he gave her a small smile, then leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. I relaxed, figuring that he would insist on her evacuation.

"Arra," he said, turning to me. "You'll need to stay here with Elizabeth."

"But –!" I shouted in protest, jumping to my feet. I couldn't believe what was happening. He silenced me with a wave of his hand. "You must. Elizabeth can't come with us to fight the vampaneze, nor can she stay alone."

"Then she should leave here and go somewhere safe!" I growled, rounding on Elizabeth furiously. She shot me a furious glare before burying her face and continuing to spew tears all over the table.

"Arra, please..." he said softly. I stared at him, jaw clenched. After several silent seconds, the pleading in his eyes won and I sat dismally back down, folding my arms. He straightened up contentedly.

"Do not, under any circumstances, leave her alone," he said, his tone becoming more urgent by the second as he slipped his knives into small sheaths on his belt. "Don't leave the area unless you have to; we'll send someone else back here as soon as possible." He lifted his cloak from a hook near the door and quickly tied it around his neck. "If no one has made contact with you in three nights, get out of the city. Head for Vampire Mountain by day when you can." Finally, he slid his toughest pair of black leather gloves on and went to say goodbye to Elizabeth.

I turned to Vanez, who was glancing anxiously out the window. When he caught sight of me watching him out of the corner of his eye, he gave me a half-smile.

"Have you been practicing what I taught you, Arra?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Good, good," he said approvingly, then let out a slow breath. "Perhaps tonight it will be put to use."

"Possibly," Arrow said, striding confidently towards the door. He clasped my shoulder and said with a wide smile, "Luck, Arra."

"Luck," I returned, smiling back, albeit much more glumly.

After he and Vanez stepped through the door and started up the hill, I could still overhear them though they were speaking softly enough that they thought I was out of earshot. Even for a vampire, I had exceptionally good hearing, and I made a conscious decision not to advertise it. In my time as a half-vampire, I had overheard things that full vampires would have to strain their ears to catch just a bit of, and usually they were things I wasn't supposed to hear, as was the case here.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Vanez was saying.

"You mean leaving Arra behind? We'll be fine, we still outnumber the vampaneze."

"I don't mean us," Vaneze said. "I mean...never mind, I will not question your judgment."

"No, please, voice your opinion."

I could barely make out Vanez's sigh. "I just wonder... if it is safe to leave Arra alone to fight whatever harm may come their way."

"Of course it is," Arrow answered confidently. "Arra is very capable. She's bright, she's quick, she's a strong fighter. I have full confidence in her."

"Then so do I," Vanez said, and though they were almost entirely out of earshot now, I caught a subtle foreboding in his tone.

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Thanks again for reading, I'm looking forward to hearing what you all thought about this part. Big thanks if you've reviewed the last two chapters, it really does make me feel good :)!

Just out of curiosity, do most of you already see where this is going?


	4. Part III

**Disclaimer: **See prologue

**A/N: **Hi! I started writing this as the last part, but it started becoming insanely long, and so I decided to break it down into two parts. So this is now a four-part story, with a prologue, and maybe an epilogue too. We'll see...God, I'm really making this more complicated then it needs to be, I should have just done normal chapters...

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It had been almost six hours and no one had returned to update me on what was going on. I was becoming anxious. Elizabeth had decided to go to bed an hour after they had left, but I was still camped in the kitchen, alert and waiting for the slightest disturbance. It was cold and dark, but I didn't want to light a fire; the house would stand out if the windows were bright. Despite having been up since noon, I wasn't tired. I tossed a knife up in the air and caught it at the handle. I repeated this several times, then sighed and placed it on the counter. I flipped the chair again and practiced my balance again. A couple times, I wasn't even able to get both feet up before I slid off. The next several times I fell after a few seconds. After about twenty minutes I gave up; I was either too stressed or too distracted to do something I was so bad at.

I righted the chair and sat down again, resting my chin in my hand and absentmindedly tracing a scratch in the table.

Though I felt perfectly awake, I must have drifted off, because I seemed to blink and then when I opened my eyes, there was a slight glow of the approaching morning sneaking through the window and Elizabeth was sitting across from me sipping from a mug of coffee. I looked instinctively out the window. Not seeing any danger, I turned back and asked, "Was I asleep?"

Elizabeth nodded.

"For how long?"

"I don't know, I just came down an hour ago," she said stiffly. We didn't speak to each other often, and when we did, it was rarely more than a couple words, not full sentences. After a few seconds' silence, she asked, "How long do you think they've been gone?"

"Maybe eleven hours?" I guessed, looking at the tiny bit of light outside.

"Do you think they're all right?"

"Probably."

She made a "Tsh" sound under her breath and took another sip of coffee. I raised my eyebrows; I thought that had been a pretty civil conversation.

"What was that for?" I asked defensively.

"You don't even care," she said, in the highest, whiniest tone she had, the one that drove me completely insane. "You're mad he wouldn't let you go with them, and you don't even care if he gets hurt."

"Your immaturity continues to amaze me," I snapped. "In the first place, I'm not mad at him, I'm mad at _you_. If you hadn't been so ridiculous as to want to stay here, I could have gone with them."

"You're mad at me?" she asked shrilly, then rolled her eyes. "Of course you're mad at me, you always are."

"That's not my fault," I growled.

"Yes it is," she retorted, sounding like a toddler. "You're jealous of me because I have everything you want."

"Ugh!" I cried, throwing my arms in the air. "What do you have that I want?"

"I'm a human, for one thing," she said, grinning victoriously, as if she thought that alone was enough. "I'm not a vampire."

"Oh, is that your problem with me?" I asked, almost laughing at her stupidity. "That's too bad, because in case you hadn't noticed, you're married to a bloody vampire!"

"Arrow and I love each other," she said, folding her arms, "something else you're jealous of."

"Oh, for the love of the vampire gods!" I exclaimed, exasperated. "I don't care that you're married to Arrow. I don't! If you weren't such a foul woman, I'd be sickeningly happy for you two!"

"That's it, isn't it?" she asked, smirking. "You're jealous."

"You're acting like a four-year-old," I spat, slamming my fist down on the table. "You're choosing to believe that, despite the fact that Arrow and I have told you an infinite number of times that that's not the case."

I could have continued shouting at her for hours, but movement outside the window caught my attention. I turned, tense at first, but then immediately relaxed as I saw that it was not a vampaneze but Vanez nearing the door. I felt slightly embarrassed that he had most likely heard most of our argument, but swiftly pushed it out of my head, eager to hear news of what was happening.

I swung the door open and Vanez stepped inside. He smiled reassuringly. "Three of the vampaneze have been killed, and none of us have had any serious injuries. The other one seems to be taking cover in a forest near here," Vanez said. "We've got him almost cornered; barring any vampaneze we don't know about, we should be rid of them by sunrise."

I heaved a sigh of relief, and I could see Elizabeth smile and relax back into her chair.

"Arrow's okay?" she asked.

"Yes," Vanez nodded. "Seba seems to have broken a finger or two, but other than that, there's nothing to mention. In fact, Arrow was the one who insisted I come back quickly to update you two."

"Do you have to go back?" I asked, standing hopefully. "Can I come with you?"

He shook his head, but held a hand up when I slouched back down into my chair. "As soon as I return, Larten and Gavner will come join you two here. Three vampires will hardly need two assistants to bring down one vampaneze."

I smiled, feeling a bit better at the prospect of seeing my friends; I hadn't seen Gavner since leaving Vampire Mountain, and I had seen Larten only very briefly last year.

"I need to get back," Vanez said, looking out the window. "Only another hour or so till we begin to cook in the sun, and we can't let this wait till tomorrow night. Be cautious."

I nodded, and without another word, Vanez turned and headed out the front door. I watched as he ran up the hill, disappearing half-way as he reached flitting speed.

Elizabeth finished the last of her coffee and stood. "In that case, I'm going out," she said.

"What? Now?" I asked incredulously, jumping to my feet. "It's not even bright out yet, you can't!"

"Mira and John will be up," she said pointedly. Mira and John lived on a farm a mile from our house, and awoke early in the morning to tend to their many animals.

"Stay here," I said authoritatively. "It's too dangerous to go out right now. Unless the sun is out, the vampaneze could still –."

"I heard him," she interrupted. "He said they had the last one cornered."

"That doesn't mean –."

Before I could finish, Elizabeth had stalked out of the house, slamming the door behind her. I sighed, shaking my head. As I chased after her, I tried to call her back, but she had already crossed over the stone wall at the edge of the property.

"Elizabeth!" I shouted after her, clearing the wall easily and sprinting up next to her. I grabbed her arm and tugged her back towards me. "Just wait another two hours, then you can go wherever you want."

"Leave me alone, Arra," she snapped, shoving me in the chest. I stumbled back and my grip on her arm slipped.

I glared at her. "What's wrong with you?" I hissed. "Don't you get it?"

She stared back at me, her look equally venomous. "Go away," she growled, and with one last flash of her eyes she turned on her heel and walked away.

I could have dragged her back to the house and forced her to stay there; I should have. But I didn't. I stood and watched until she had vanished from sight. For almost twenty minutes, I didn't move. Part of me wanted to say, "See if I care," and go back to the house. But another bigger part of me knew that if anything happened to her, it would be my fault. I ran a hand wearily through my hair and began to run after her. If I hurried, I'd be able to catch up to her before she reached John and Mira's farm.

She must have been going nearly as fast as I was, because I didn't catch sight of her until a large, red barn, which marked the beginning of her friend's farm, began to appear in view.

"Elizabeth," I yelled, and she slowed momentarily as she heard me. Not even bothering to turn around, she kept running. I took a deep breath and sprinted faster, as fast as my legs could take me, too fast for any human to outrun. Elizabeth knew this, and, seeing that I wasn't far behind her, cut to her left and disappeared through the barn's double doors, presumably to try to lose me. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her weak attempt.

I reached the doors only seconds after her, whipping them open in one quick motion. I darted inside, letting them swing closed behind me. The barn was almost pitch black inside. Elizabeth was only a few steps away from me. I reached both hands out and grabbed at her shoulders, catching only the left one. That was enough to knock her off her feet.

"You're being ridiculous," I barked, pulling her up to her feet. "Do you have absolutely no regard for your life?"

She brushed the hay and dirt off her dress and scowled at me. "I told you to leave me alone," she grumbled, "Why couldn't you –?"

That was when my vampire senses started to scream at me; an almost-silent creak on a floorboard above us, a stale, rotting stench hanging in the air. "QUIET!" I hissed at Elizabeth, clapping a hand to her mouth. She struggled momentarily, but must have caught the serious look in my eyes, because she promptly stopped.

I lowered my hand from her mouth, straining my ears for another sound. The smell was almost overwhelming now, I couldn't believe I hadn't smelled it from outside. For a second, my eyes darted nervously around the barn; in each empty stall, the railing that circled the second story above us, the rafters in the ceiling. My head whipped around as I hear another sound. This time, it was a footstep. Then I saw a flash of red eyes behind a stack of hay.

"RUN!" I shouted at Elizabeth, not bothering to keep my voice down. They knew we were here, they had known all along.

Finally she listened to me. We hurried to the barn door. I reached for the handle, my heart pounding in my ears. Before I could open a wide enough gap for us to get out, something leaped down at me from above.

Elizabeth shrieked, scurrying out of the way as I was knocked off my feet. "GET OUT!" I screamed, struggling to get free of the vampaneze that had me pinned to the ground. She pulled the door open and raced out. The vampaneze on top of me made to get up and go after her, but as soon as his weight slid off my legs, I snapped my foot up and kicked him in the gut, sending him sprawling into the opposite wall. He snarled at me, picking himself up. I tried to stand, but before I could even sit up, my attacker flung himself at me, stomping his bare heel down on my chest, pinning me to the ground. I coughed, pushing at his ankle and knee knee, but I couldn't budge him. Finally he lifted his foot, opening the barn door to start again after Elizabeth.

"Let her go, Arrig, she won't get far," a raspy voice from my right said.

I turned my head towards the voice, slowly pushing myself up on my forearms as the pressure on my chest released. I counted one, two, three vampaneze in the barn, at least that I could see. My heart was racing, my head spinning. I scrambled all the way up to my feet, shaking, backing towards the door.

The one who had spoken, a large vampaneze who was a startlingly dark purple, gave me a jagged smile, his yellow, pointed teeth bared at me. I could feel the handle of the door; I could have tried to run, but I knew it wouldn't work. The three vampaneze would catch up to me in seconds, and then would go for Elizabeth. Arrow had entrusted me with her safety, I couldn't let anything happen to her.

The vampaneze who had attacked initially, Arrig, advanced towards me, whipping out a dirty-nailed hand and slicing me in the shoulder. As he did, my hand closed around the shovel behind me, and as his arm retracted, I brought the blade up and swung all my weight into a strike. He was too close for me to hit in the head, but the shovel smashed across his shins. Arrig howled and collapsed, his hands flying to his bleeding legs. The other two vampaneze dove forwards towards me. I swung the shovel at the one on my right, this time with better aim. I sliced the blade across his throat. He gave a gurgled scream of pain as blood spurted out from his neck, and he fell against the door, trying desperately to stop the bleeding as he choked and spluttered for air. I turned and tried to strike the third vampaneze, but he was quicker than his comrades. He caught it between the blade and my hands before it could touch him. Though I tried to tug it back, he ripped it out of my grasp and chucked it to the side, advancing. Left unarmed, the still-screaming vampaneze blocking the door, I took off across the barn, looking desperately around for another weapon or an escape.

I gasped as the vampaneze's hand slapped against my shoulder, but got lucky and just barely slipped out of his clutches. With no other option in sight, I was going to have to try the upper floor of the barn. The ladder was far behind me; I would have to climb up a wall and hope I could break through the floorboards. One of the wooden sides of the barn was in front of me, and so I jumped as far and as high as I could, just barely able to dig in my nails in time to catch myself. The jump had only bought me a second or two of climbing time, but I had to make do with that.

A rattle somewhere beneath me said that the vampaneze had reached the wall and was scaling up a few feet behind me. I could hear my heart beating like a war drum, and every time I thrust my nails into the wall, there was a definite cracking. I prayed to the Vampire Gods that they wouldn't break.

As I neared the ceiling (or floor, depending on which level you were looking from), I turned my head ever so slightly to look down to try to locate the vampaneze that was following me. He was still a decent ways behind, but was gaining fast. I took a deep breath, pulled one hand away from the wall, and shoved my fist through the wood above me. I was fortunate that the barn was old and the wood broke easily. Though it splintered and sliced gashes in my skin up to my elbow, I barely noticed. I climbed the last few feet up, then checked how far I was going to have to jumped to get around the hole I had made without falling through. As I glanced back, something from across the landing caught the corner of my eye, and I cursed as I figured out what it was. It was the first vampaneze, Arrig, the one I had hit in the shin. He had obviously recovered and come to head me off. Luckily, he was all the way across the upper floor when he spotted me. I couldn't go back down, and I couldn't get off onto the second floor. There was no third floor to the barn, but I had no choice but to keep climbing. I turned my eyes up as I climbed. I didn't know what hope I could cling on to. As much as I wanted to believe I could, there was no way I could fight off the two full vampaneze bellow me. My chances of being able to even get out of the barn were next to nothing. The only way, as I could see it, that I could possibly survive this would be if I was somehow able to break through a wall, or even the ceiling, and the sunlight could temporarily blind the vampaneze enough to give me a decent head start and I could run. Even if they were blinded and shocked still for even a full minute, which was highly unlikely, they would be able to catch up to me in a matter of seconds. But it was my only option for survival, and so I climbed higher and higher.

It took maybe three seconds to reach the very top of the barn, but it seemed like hours. I struck at a spot on the ceiling with my nails, but this time, the wood didn't break. I should have guessed the wood would be stronger up here.

Suddenly, I felt sharp pair of fingernails claw across my ankle, meaning that the vampaneze were now in reach. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that there were rafters across the very top of the barn that stretched straight from one wall to the other. With no time to waste, I leaped off the wall, and by the luck of the vampires was able to cling onto a rafter with my hands. I made to pull myself up, but before I could, I felt my body jolt as a hand close around my right ankle and made to pull me off. Mustering up all the strength I had left, I dug my nails in to the rafter so the weight wouldn't send my sprawling to the ground. I couldn't see my attacker, but I knew his face was somewhere near my foot. With an almightly kick, I whipped my left foot around and slammed it into whatever body part was near me. I heard the vampaneze yell, and then, to my utmost relief, he started to fall. He tried desperately to keep his hold on me, but his grip wasn't tight enough. I clenched my teeth as his nails ripped into the flesh on my ankle, his last and futile attempt to save himself before he plummeted who knows how far to the ground. Pulling myself up, I glanced quickly over to find that the remaining vampaneze was a little behind me now, apparently having paused momentarily to watch his falling comrade.

As I turned back, a small ray of hope danced through my head, only to be replaced by a crushing reality. My hope was that, up in the corner where the back wall met the sides of the roof, there was a small pinprick of light; a small hole. The wood would be weak enough for me to break through, that is, if I was able to get over there. That was the hard part. It was probably a hundred feet from me, and the only way to get there was to cross the very narrow rafters. As I heard the vampaneze approaching, I realized that this was the moment when all my practice would be put to the test. It had all come down to this...it was my last chance to make it out alive.

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So, there you have it, only one more part (really, I promise) till the conclusion. Thanks yet again for reading and reviewing, and I PROMISE I'm going to try to be better about updating! :)


	5. Part IV

**Disclaimer: **See prologue

**A/N: **This is it, Part 4...the final part (I didn't change my mind and make it longer again, aren't you proud of me :P ?!?)! One big, final "Thank you" to everyone who's read and reviewed this story; I hope this ending is worthy of all your kind words!

Without further ado, I present to you... **Balance: Part IV**

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_Those who show nothing but strength are merely hiding weakness._

With shaking arms, I pulled myself up onto the rafter and got timidly to my feet, fighting to keep my eyes from getting their way and looking down. This was quite literally the moment of truth. If I could keep my balance well enough to get across these rafters, I might survive, at least for now. Taking a deep breath, I focused on the pinprick of light in front of me to steady myself and started walking. For the first couple steps, my muscles were tingling and burning madly, as if they were trying to shout for me to give up now. But then, suddenly, it was as though the rafters started widening. Though I was still aware of them, I was no longer afraid of edges near the sides of my feet. Each time my foot planted down, it seemed to secure itself so I wouldn't stumble. Each step got successively faster, until I was almost gliding across the beam. My balance had finally clicked, and not a second too soon. Had I not been on the verge of death, I would have celebrated.

I could feel the rafter quiver underneath me and knew that the vampaneze chasing me was close behind. I had to adjust my center slightly with the new movement under me, but it didn't throw me off. I was almost at the wall, seconds away from my last hope for survival. Three more steps and I'd be able to reach it. Two more steps. One step.

When I reached the wall, I wasted no time. I slashed my nails into the weak part of the wood and instantly felt the sting of the rough edges on my hands and forearms that meant I had broken through. One more slash and the break was large enough for me to escape from. I could hear the hiss of the vampaneze behind me as the sunlight hit him. It wan't as bright as I thought it would be - time seemed to be passing much more slowly than it actually was - but it seemed to do the job. Without glancing back, I bent my knees and dove out of the barn and onto the roof, digging my nails in to stop myself from sliding down the shingles. For now, I had made it.

I carefully lowered myself till I could start climbing down the wall. The further I got from the barn, the better chance I had of escaping. The vampaneze would tire quickly once the sun began to cook his skin.

I could barely believe it when my feet hit the ground. Without the as-immediate threat of death, I started to become aware of the gashes and bruises all over my body, but as I started to run across the grass I pushed them out of my mind. I had to get back to the house. All I could do was pray to the Vampire Gods that Elizabeth would be there, hopefully with Gavner and Larten.

I threw the occasional glance behind me as I sprinted. I never saw the vampaneze leave the barn, and once it was out of sight and our house in front of me, there was still no sign of any of them. The sun was almost completely up now, and I was starting to relax. I didn't think they would risk burning to come after me. They would likely wait till sundown and try to find the full vampires - after all, what were a half-vampire and a human to them?

When I got to the house, there were no signs of a struggle. I opened the door and peered inside, holding my breath. "Elizabeth?" I called, stepping in and shutting the door quickly behind me. I called for her again, my stomach clenched as I waited for a reply. "Please, please don't let her be dead..." I whispered under my breath as I ran up the stairs. Staring around madly, I turned and bolted down the short hall to my room, the one furthest from the staircase.

"Eliza -" I started again, panic starting to turn my voice shrill, but before I could finish, she appeared from around a corner, quaking like I'd never seen her before, but very much alive. I breathed a sigh of relief and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you hurt?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"L..let's get out of h...h...here, p...p...please, Arra," she sobbed, collapsing into my shoulder.

I put my arm around her and led her back to the steps. "Come on," I said. "We'll head towards the vampires. Larten and Gavner were on their way here, we'll probably meet up with them." We started descending the stairs. "Don't worry, it's really getting bright out. I don't think they would f-."

As we arrived at the kitchen, Elizabeth saw them first. She screamed, and when I followed her gaze, I did too. Two vampaneze were standing at the door. They had been waiting for us. The screams had barely left our mouths before they had us both pinned against the wall. Though both were slightly darker purple than usual, neither seemed to have been bothered by the sun. I realized with a start that if they had flitted, they would have spent hardly any time in the sun at all. Inside the house was shaded, and seemed tolerable for them.

The one who was restraining me laughed, but it was a humorless, taunting laugh. He was the one who had chased me across the rafters. "Kill the human," he barked to the other vampaneze, who smiled, revealing jagged yellow teeth. He wrenched Elizabeth off the wall by her wrists and sent her flying across the kitchen and into the table. She shrieked and threw her arms up to cover her face as he slashed his nails at her, leaving deep wounds in her skin. She tried to run towards the door, but he caught her by the hair and yanked her back.

"STOP!" I screeched, struggling to no avail against my restrainer. "STOP! DON'T HURT HER!" I tried kicking at him, but he brushed my foot out of the way and thrust his knee into my ribs, muffling my pleas as I felt my lower left ribs crack. I groaned as I tried to free my arms, but there was no way for me to overpower him. I could feel his fingernail cutting into my wrists as I tried desperately to pull away.

What happened next was almost as though I had left the kitchen and was watching the scene from somewhere very distant, not quite comprehending what was happening. Elizabeth screamed again, but this time it was cut into a very short, bloodcurdling wail. The vampaneze had finished his game; he was done playing with her. With one nearly-too-fast-to-see slice, he cut through her throat. As if in slow motion, her eyes froze open as the blood sprayed out across the kitchen, splattering me and the vampaneze. Her body crumbled to the floor, crashing into the table as it fell with a thunk. The noise seemed to pull me from my nauseous haze, and I felt my head start to spin as it began to sink in that she was dead... and I was next. Both vampaneze were upon me now; if I hadn't been able to fight off one, I stood no chance against two. I squeezed my eyes closed as burning hot tears - not just from sadness, or fear, or pain, but more from the whole picture of it all - poured down my face. It didn't mean anything to me when the door flew open and two figures burst in; probably more vampaneze. Before I could finish making peace with the Vampire Gods, my head was knocked into the wall behind me and I remembered no more.

-----

It couldn't have been long after that I regained consciousness. At first, hearing the frantic voices and the fact that I was on the floor confused me. As I squinted my eyes and sat up, the events of the last couple hours began coming back to me. My stomach roiled and I glanced manically around the kitchen, hoping desperately that I had hit my head falling off a chair while practicing my balance and dreamed it all. My vision wouldn't clear, but a deep ache began to flood through my body. Even through the blurriness, I could see the blood spurted around the kitchen, and I instinctively snapped my eyes shut. I knew that the nightmare was a reality. I gave a moan and buried my face in my hands, only barely aware that the voices that had been talking before stopped. I could just hear the footsteps coming towards me above my gasping breath, and at first, when deep a voice said softly, "Arra..." I didn't recognize it.

"Shhh," another voice said, and I felt a hand rest on my back. My brain was moving slowly, exhausted and overloaded. It took me several seconds to realize that this was Larten and Gavner; they must have come and been able to kill the vampaneze before they could kill me. With a shudder, I leaned to my side, resting my head against Larten's chest as I cried. I didn't dare open my eyes - I knew what I would see if I did. I wanted to turn my mind off, but I couldn't stop the horrific scenes from invading my mind. Pressing my fists into my eyes, I tried to make the flashbacks stop, but it was as though someone was flipping through an photo album in front of me, and certain images would jump out and stick in my brain: the vampaneze's eyes appearing behind the haystack, the grab on my ankle as I tried to climb to safety, Elizabeth's scream as her throat was slashed open. They seemed to race through my head for hours before I started to hear what Larten and Gavner, both kneeling next to me, were saying.

"...will not be able to stop him," Larten was saying quietly. "You know he is going to want to come for the body immediately, and he will burn to death if that is now."

"But he's going to want to know right away," Gavner's voice came horsely from my right.

"I agree, but what would you have us do? Tell him now, knowing full well that he will want to venture out into the sun to return here? Or should we wait, and let him come of his own will, and walk into his home to find his wife dead and his assistant not far from it?"

I seemed to have cried my eyes dry but my body was still quaking in Larten's arms. Assistant...that was me. Even though they had clearly been talking about Arrow for the past couple minutes, it only just hit me then. Arrow. I was going to have to face Arrow and tell him that I had failed the job he had given me; I had let his wife die. I took a shaky breath and sat up straight, gently pushing myself away from Larten.

"I have to tell him," I choked, letting my eyes slide open, but averting my gaze so I was looking at Larten and Gavner instead of the gruesome scene around me.

"Arra, come on," Gavner said softly, putting a hand on my knee. "You've been through hell, you..."

"NO!" I said strongly, ignoring the stabbing in my chest as I tried to clamber to my feet. "It's my fault! I have to tell him, I..."

Larten and Gavner reacted quickly as I doubled over, unable to hold myself up as a searing pain shot through my body, and lowered me back to the ground.

"It's not your -," Gavner began.

"IT IS!" I nearly shrieked, covering my face again and starting to sob, shivering from head to toe.

"Arra, please..." Larten said gently, putting an arm around me. "Shhh..."

I wanted to tell him that no, I wouldn't "Shhh," because I had to find Arrow and tell him that it was my fault and I had never, ever wanted anything like this to happen. I had to tell him how very, very sorry I was. I had failed him. I had failed Elizabeth. I had failed myself. I wouldn't be content until he hurled me into a pit of stakes and lit my impaled body on fire.

I was still shuddering uncontrollably, but now an inexplicable chill seemed to ripping through my veins, though my head still burned and throbbed. I couldn't hear outside sounds anymore, only my heart as it seemed to beat from right behind my ears. I seemed to be slipping in-and-out of consciousness now, but I was vaguely aware of being lifted off the floor. Blackness...I was being placed on something soft, and a blanket was draped over me...blackness again...something cool and wet was wiping blood off my face. Then the darkness fell heavier than before, and my mind slipped into a deep repression - it couldn't seem to find anything else to focus on, and so while I slept, it was wiped impenetrably blank.

When my eyes blinked opened, I was laying in a bed, my bed, on my back and staring up at a familiar patch of ceiling. I was in my room. At first, I mistook it for very bright, but then I realized that it was sundown, and the sun was merely casting its rays through my window and right onto my face.

I turned my head, squinting against the light. Larten was sitting near my bed, his hands wringing through his red hair, and Gavner was a few feet from him, staring blankly out the window. When they noticed that my eyes had opened, they both gave very small, very weary smiles. I didn't even attempt to return one.

"Where is she?" I asked, my voice coming out scratchy.

I could tell by the looks on their faces that this wasn't something they wanted to talk about. Finally, Larten sighed and said, "We have moved her to her room. It is getting dark, and we wish to catch the vampires downstairs before..."

His voice trailed off and he shook his head.

I let my breath out slowly and stared up at the ceiling. "I should be the one to tell him," I said in a low voice.

"Arra, it wasn't you fault," Gavner said heavily.

"I wasn't strong enough to fight them," I said, feeling tears sting at my eyes once again.

"You shouldn't have had to fight them by yourself," he said in hushed tone. "None of us knew there were more vampaneze. If we had, one of the vampires would have stayed."

"They were two full vampaneze, Arra," Larten said, his voice more strained and unnerved than his usual deep calmness. He reached out and took my hand. "You are a half-vampire. It is incredible that you survived."

"But she didn't," I whispered, "because I couldn't stop them."

"It -," Gavner started, but before he could finish, a startlingly loud noise made us all jump. I knew who it was a second before I heard him.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Arrow's voice boomed from downstairs. Gavner covered his mouth with his hand and squeezed his eyes shut.

"How did he -?" Larten began, voice cracking.

"WHERE'S ELIZABETH?" Arrow shouted again, and I covered my face, starting to shake again at the pain in his yell. I could hear Vanez and Seba calling him back, but his footsteps shook the house as he bounded up the stairs anyway.

I was expecting it and braced myself, but nothing could have prepared me for the howling wail that came seconds later. There was a thunk - the sound of Arrow's knees hitting the wood floor as he collapsed to ground - then the most mournful sobs I had ever heard. It was almost unbearable to hear my strong mentor's desperate, tormented cries. I felt my own tears against my hands. I should have gone to Arrow - I was his assistant - but no matter what Larten or Gavner said, it was my fault that his wife was dead. I couldn't face my teacher, my best friend, my father, and tell him that just yet.

The door of my room creaked open and I lifted a hand fearfully off my face to see who it was. It was not Arrow, but Vanez who stood in the doorway. After peering in for a moment, he strode in, shutting the door behind him.

"Is everyone all right?" he asked solemnly, his eyes coming to rest on me. Larten and Gavner both gave small nods, but I found myself unable to react; I could only just comprehend what he was saying as Arrows sobs clouded my head. He walked to the edge of my bed and knelt down, resting a hand on my shoulder. I tried to sit up, but he restrained me. "Are you okay?" he asked, his tone urgent behind the sorrow.

I finally managed a single, pained nod.

"This isn't what anyone wants to think about, but I need to know as soon as possible: are all the vampaneze you encountered dead?"

I looked at Larten, unable to answer his question.

"Yes," Larten nodded, his face pale and wiped of expression. "Gavner and I killed two when we arrived here."

Vanez nodded and slumped into a nearby chair resting his head in his hands. "I had to be sure. We cannot afford another attack. The one we had got away, though he was fleeing, and I don't suspect he'll come back."

I could still hear Arrow weeping, and now Seba's gentle consolations. I turned my face into my pillow and squeezed my eyes shut, wishing I could sink into the bed and die.

"How did you find out?" Larten asked stiffly. "We were the only three present when..." his voice trailed off. "We were going to try to tell him when he returned, before he had a chance to see the body. How did he learn of this?"

"I believe I told him." The voice made us all jump. It was loud compared to the whispers we had all been using. Its slimy edge sent shivers down my spine. I turned to see what creature could produce such a tone, and when I saw the short, rotund man in rain boots, I propped myself up despite my broken ribs; though there was nothing grotesque about this man, the sight of him and the sound of his voice had made goosebumps appear on my arms.

Larten looked both as confused and disturbed as I was, his brow furrowed as he stared at the short, white-haired man in the door. Vanez on the other hand had a indescribable look of fear, hatred, and sadness on his face, and didn't seem able to bring himself to look at our intruder.

"Arra Sails," the man said, stepping towards me, and I gasped to hear that he knew my name. "Still alive after your encounter, you lucky girl." He flashed me a smile and I felt my heart tighten in my chest.

I coughed, trying to find my voice. '"Who...who are you?" I managed to choke out weakly. He smiled wickedly.

"Are you a vampaneze?" Gavner asked, and I could hear the same terror in his voice that I felt.

He chuckled and said, "No, Gavner Purl, I am no vampaneze."

"This is Mr. Tiny," Vanez said, his voice flat and hollow. I could tell he was as nervous as we were. "He is neither vampaneze nor vampire. He woke us an hour ago, able to tell us the whole story. He told us how you arrived at the barn with the vampaneze in it, how you escaped, and how they ambushed you when you returned here."

"I love breaking bad news," Mr. Tiny said, and my stomach rolled over; I could tell he meant it.

"How did you know about the vampaneze?" Larten asked quietly, his eyes determinedly staring at the ground.

Mr. Tiny grinned an evil grin and laughed again. "Let's say that I consult with them from time to time. Speaking of time..." he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. I narrowed my eyes as I tried to figure out what it was, and when I did, I felt my skin crawl; a heart-shaped pocket watch. "I need to get going. I'm on a very tight schedule, you see, and I really only stopped by to congratulate her," he jabbed a thumb towards me, "on living. I suppose fate was on your side to night, Miss Sails." And he smiled his sadistic, pointed-teethed-smile at me. "There's a country across the sea from here about to begin war with itself, and I can't wait for the bloodbath to begin. Anything before I leave, boys...and lady?"

"How did you know?" I asked, and I tried to hold myself up a little straighter.

"Pardon me?" Mr. Tiny cocked his head and raised his eyebrows, but I could tell by the way his lips twisted up that he had heard me and was thoroughly pleased I had asked.

"I don't even think the vampaneze knew we were going to run into that barn," I said, my voice quavering as I tried to ask my question without the vivid memories passing through my head. "How did you?"

"Oh, they knew, Miss Sails," he said, a glow appearing in his eyes.

I frowned. "How?" I could tell that this was the question he had been waiting for. He strode to the door of the room, turning only his head to look in at us, but it was enough for his positively gleeful face to shine in.

"I told them."

And with that, his eyes turned ever-so-slightly down to look at his pocket watch. Perhaps it was all in my imagination, but I could have sworn that it had begun beating. His hand closed, and his fingers squeezed in around the watch ever-so-slightly. Then everything went black.

-----

"Arra!"

I groaned as a hand shook my shoulder, and my eyes groggily opened. Larten was standing above me, his face full of concern. It was pitch black out - I must have fallen asleep when they brought me up here from the kitchen. What a strange dream I had had.

"She is all right," Larten said, turning his head around to Gavner, who was standing a few feet away.

"What happened?" I asked, taking a couple deep breaths to try to wake myself up.

"You have been unconscious for several hours," Larten said, sitting on the bed next to me. "We were beginning to worry. Do you feel okay?"

"I don't know," I said truthfully. I could get past the physical pain I was in, and it had sunk in that Elizabeth was dead, but my dream had made me uneasy. I normally wasn't one to worry about something as harmless as a dream, but this particular one had rattled me. "I...I had a strange dream."

I began to recount it to them, but after a minute I stopped when I noticed them exchange worried glances. "What is it?"

"It's just that..." Gavner said slowly, choosing his words carefully, "that wasn't a dream."

I blinked, feeling my heart skip a beat. "What?"

"That really did happen," Larten said. "As Mr. Tiny left the room, you fell unconscious as though you had been struck in the head."

I pressed myself deeper into my pillow, my head spinning as I tried to make sense of it all. I could remember Mr. Tiny's last words to me clear as day; HE had told the vampaneze that Elizabeth and I would be at the barn. He had probably told the vampaneze to attack Umbri Savant in the first place to start the chain of events off. I would bet he had even told Umbri to come here so the vampaneze would be able to attack him, setting everything off, all for his entertainment. If he enjoyed watching wars, then this would have been like a birthday come early for him.

"He -," I started, my voice cracking, "he was..."

"Evil," Gavner finished for me.

"That is not all," Larten said darkly. "After he left, Vanez told us a little more about him. It is neither the time nor place to repeat it in its entirety, but there was a slightly disturbing fact he informed us of. Mr. Tiny's first name is Desmond, though he asks to be called Des."

I stared at him blankly before Gavner explained. "Put that together with his last name," he said, shuddering. "Destiny."

It was unlike me to worry about something that could be a coincidence, but in that instant, it terrified me more that I could bear. I thought of his heart-shaped pocket watch, and how it had appeared to beat. He gave it a squeeze and then... it was as though I had been magicked unconscious by the hands of Destiny. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I usually couldn't do that...Arrow was always the one who did.

"I need to speak with Arrow," I said heavily, sitting up and brushing my hair out of my eyes. I wasn't going to burden him with my problems, but as I thought of him, I knew it was time we talked. I was going to have to face him sooner or later.

"He...left," Gavner said softly.

"What?" I asked, shocked. "What do you mean?"

"He went after the last vampaneze, the one we didn't kill," Gavner said, massaging his temples wearily with his fingertips. "He wants revenge on them."

"What did he do with..." I swallowed, "with Elizabeth's body?"

Larten and Gavner looked at each other, neither looking like they wanted to be the one to answer. After a few seconds' pause, Gavner murmured, "'Took it with him."

"He took her body with him?" I asked in a hushed voice, my stomach churning.

"We tried to convince him to bury her here," Larten sighed. "It is difficult to reason with a man when his heart has been shattered. He said he was going to bury her near the base of Vampire Mountain."

Struggling against my battered body, I swung my feet over the side of the bed. "I have to go after him," I said decidedly, shakily getting to my feet.

"Actually," Larten said, standing and gently taking my arm before I started for the door, "I think it would be better if you rested."

"No," I shook my head and tried to pull away from him, "I'm fine, I just -."

"He said that he would like you to stay with Seba and me for a while," Larten interrupted, putting a hand on my shoulder and lowering me back onto the bed.

I stared blankly at him for a second, my jaw slacked, then, with something between a sigh and a squeak, fell back onto the bed, tears forming in the corners of my eyes for the umpteenth that night. As much as I had been convinced that it was my fault that Elizabeth had died, in the back of my mind I knew - or at least, thought I knew - that he would forgive me.

"Before he left, he came to check on you," Larten added, his voice sympathetic. "He is glad that you are all right. He feels you will be better off without him for the time being; he needs time to come to terms with Elizabeth's death and sort through his thoughts. He wanted us to tell you does not blame you."

"I don't believe you," I said stubbornly. "If he didn't blame me, he wouldn't have left me here." As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I hated how selfish and immature they sounded. I was hurt that Arrow had gone without me, but I had to put myself in his position.

"He doesn't, Arra," Gavner said disagreed, shaking his head. "He blames himself."

I lay down again, exhaling slowly. I didn't have the heart to say anything else, I wouldn't have had the strength to discuss it any more if I wanted to. I shut my eyes and ears to the world, wishing I could fall asleep and when I woke up, it would all disappear.

-----

Two days later, my few cherished possessions were packed away in a small bag and I was standing on the hill in front of the house. I was going back to Vampire Mountain, where I would stay until Seba felt I was ready to venture out on my own, or until Arrow returned for me, but I couldn't help but feel that that wasn't likely in the near future. I looked down at the house, sighing slightly. I had become used to sleeping in a bed and living in a house that was in a town. I wondered how I would enjoy being back in the caves and caverns of the mountain. I still hadn't had time to mentally recover from the events of a couple nights prior, and I hoped that being safely in the mountain surrounded by vampires would help me. I felt exposed out here; weak and alone. Where I had before trusted and considered myself as strong, I was now afraid. I had seen that I wasn't as powerful as I once had thought, and it was taking a toll on me. Maybe some day I would bounce back, but I couldn't imagine that now.

"Arra?" I gave a little jump - Larten had come up behind me unnoticed. "Sorry," he said, gently slipping my sack of belongings out of my hand. "Ready to go?"

My shoulders were slumped as I took the little house and yard in for what I figured would be the final time; I doubted I would ever have reason to return here, and I certainly didn't feel the need to pay this place and all its chilling memories any visits later. Nonetheless, it had been quite a chapter in my life.

"Yeah," I said, though it came out as more of an airy whisper than a word. I turned and walked side-by-side with Larten down the slope of the hill, to where Gavner, Seba, and Vanez were waiting. Half-way down, I turned for one last glimpse of the house, but all except the very tip of the chimney had disappeared. As I turned back, Larten gave me a sad smile, but I couldn't return it. The last few days I had changed - I had become a bit distant from everyone, even Larten and Gavner, my closest friends. I had become closed and cynical. I had put up a brick wall around my scarred self and wouldn't let anyone in. While I had never been a particularly soft or happy person, it was as though a new, rougher edge had come to fill the holes in my damaged soul. As we met up with Seba, Vanez, and Gavner, I heaved a sigh. Maybe this was one of the things in life that time wouldn't erase. Maybe this guarded, tough-skinned, yet inwardly broken person I had become was just the new Arra Sails.

* * *

Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed it (I know, it's not the happiest ending in the world)! Please review, or PM me if you'd rather, to let me know if you liked it (or if you hated it and should so feel the need to complain). I plan to (soon) write an epilogue for this, but for now I'm marking it as complete. Thanks again for reading, love you all!

~Amela333


	6. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **See prologue

**A/N: **See, I told you I was going to do an epilogue! I tried to keep it short, because otherwise, let's face it, I would have ended up with some hundred-page monstrosity, which I seriously doubt anyone would have wanted to read :P. I don't know if it's almost too short now (really, condensing is not my thing, haha), but hopefully you'll all like it. I think I'm decently happy with it_..._I guess... :) Please review to let me know how you like it!

One last (I promise, really!) thank you for reading, especially if you've stuck with it from the beginning...so yeah, thanks!

* * *

_Eleven years later..._

_WHACK! _My staff slammed into the side of the large vampire's head, and he slipped, gasping as he fell off the bar and onto the rock hard floor bellow. I glanced around briefly to be sure all my adversaries were down, then, after a couple steps towards the end of the beam I was on, leapt onto solid ground.

"Masterfully done as always, Arra," Vanez said, giving me a quick smile before going to check on my fallen opponents. I nodded in acknowledgment as I brushed my hair out of my eyes. Tucking my staff under my arm, I headed directly for the door of the Halls of Sport, wanting nothing more than to return to my room, tend to my wounds, and sleep. It had been a long, tiring night, and I would be glad to see the end of it. I would begin my trials to become a General in a fortnight, and I couldn't help but feel like a moment's rest could do me some good. However, Vanez was training me and he disagreed, and so I would be taking a beating every night right up until I drew my first challenge.

When I reached my room, I pushed the door open with my shoulder and didn't bother to shut it - my left foot was bleeding fairly heavily, and I wanted to stop it before my room became flooded with blood. I lay my staff on the floor and reached for some bandages, before remembering that I wouldn't need them and placing them back on a shelf. Though Seba had blooded me as a full vampire nine years ago, it still slipped my mind on occasion that I could use my own saliva to heal wounds; to be frank, it was a pretty weird thing to get accustomed to, but hell, I (hopefully) had several centuries.

As I watched my skin heal before my eyes, my sharp ears heard the footsteps in the tunnel outside my room, but I ignored them, knowing that it was probably another exhausted General trainee looking forward to a good day's sleep.

When only a fading bruise remained on my foot, I stood and pulled the tie out of my hair, letting it fall down past my shoulders and partially relieve my headache. I almost went straight to my coffin, but remembered that I had left my door open. I sighed reluctantly, even the short walk to shut it seemed like a chore, but as I turned to the doorway and my eyes fell upon the vampire standing in it, all thoughts of fatigue and self-pity vanished immediately. My eyes widened, almost not believing what I saw, until a familiar, warm smile spread across my visitor's face. I stood perfectly still, staring at him, transfixed, for another second, and then rushed across the room and threw myself into his outstretched arms. When my forehead pressed against his chest and his strong hand came to rest on my back, I knew that Arrow really had returned.

For a couple years after I had returned to Vampire Mountain with Seba, I held onto the hope that my mentor would come back for me, but he never did. Seba blooded me as a full vampiress and assumed any duties as my mentor and teacher. I knew Arrow was still out there - for the first few years, I pleaded often with Paris Skyle to check via the stone of blood to be sure that he was at least still alive - but that he was choosing to avoid the mountain...to avoid me. Finally, three years ago, I told myself that it was time to move on and accept the fact that I would probably never see Arrow again. Maybe it was better that way.

Now, as he gently pulled away from me, his hands still on my shoulders, I couldn't help but feel apprehension. I was thrilled beyond belief to see him, and hug him, and know that he was okay, but the fact still remained that the last time he had seen me, he had given me a mission that I had failed, and at a costly price.

But Arrow didn't look like he was thinking about that; he was smiling, and I numbly returned it, hands shaking madly at my sides.

"Look at you," he said finally, and the sound of his deep, calm tone helped me to relax a little "You look..." he shook his head and chuckled, "exactly the same. But stronger." He squeezed my upper arm, which, I noted with pride, was too muscular for him to wrap his large hand around.

I nodded, my head still spinning. "I'm a full vampiress now," I said, my voice sounding soft in an oddly familiar way.

He smiled. "I know." He gave me a nudge towards a chair, and I gladly sat. He pushed the door closed and took a seat across from me. "I've been keeping tabs on you, mostly through other vampires I've run into over the years." I didn't have an answer for that, and so I diverted my gaze from his charcoal eyes and looked at the ground. There was a moment of silence before he said, "You've been well, I hear?"

I cleared my throat. "Yes, I have," I nodded, and was glad that my voice seemed to have returned to normal.

"I hear you're still the terror of many a young vampires in the Halls of Sport, and on the bars now as well," he commented.

"Old and young," I said, smiling, feeling more comfortable now. When I was young, I had been more at ease with Arrow than anyone, and slowly it was starting to come back. "I beat four Generals on the bars just a few minutes ago," I added, and he laughed.

"Well that's something new," he grinned. "Your balance has improved." My smile flickered as the memory of the night I seemed to finally grasp the concept of balance flashed through my head. Of course, he wouldn't know about that. My gaze dropped again, and I shrugged one shoulder. "I guess it has."

When he continued, his tone was forcedly casual. "You know, you look the same, but your voice...it's changed."

I blinked once. "I've changed."

He sighed heavily, and when he spoke again, his voice was lower and raspier than before. "Arra..." he said slowly, "I am... _so_ sorry that it took me such a long time to return here. I meant to, wanted to...so many times I would start towards the Mountain, but halfway there, I would turn around and leave again. I wanted to see you, and talk to you, but..it was hard. You understand?"

I nodded slowly, unsure of what to say; it had almost been easier to grow to live with the prospect of never seeing Arrow again than the feeling of having to answer to him or apologize for my mistake. "I -" I began, but he held up a hand to stop me and shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, covering his face in his hands. "I'm sorry that I ever put you in that position. All of it, everything - it was my fault. It was irresponsible of me, and I'll regret it till the day I die."

I took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep her safe," I whispered, turning away from him so he wouldn't see my tears; it was the first time they had come in all eleven years.

"No, Arra, it wasn't your fault," he said, lifting my chin and looking me in the eye. I shook my head and pulled away, staring off at the wall. It seemed that all these years, all I had wanted was for him to erase my guilt and tell me that he didn't blame me, but now, as he sat in front of me repeating what Larten, Gavner, Seba, Vanez, everyone had said time after time, I felt no weight lifted off my chest. Somehow, knowing that he felt as responsible as I did almost made the guilt worse. His voice was horse when he added, almost inaudibly, "I'm sorry I almost lost you both."

I don't know how long we sat in silence after that, all I knew was that I wouldn't - couldn't - be the one to break it. Occasionally I would look up at Arrow, whose fist was pressed to his mouth as he stared blankly off, apparently lost in thought. Then I would look away, and my mind would wander off to that fateful night, not too many years ago. In some ways, it was still very raw, very painful, like it had happened yesterday, but in another, it seemed like a terrible memory from a entirely different life. I was a different person now - no human girl remained in me anymore; I was a vampiress, and I would be that way for a long, long time.

Arrow cleared his throat, and I looked up. "That's behind us now," he said, "and it's certainly not the reason I'm here." I looked up questioningly. It had never occurred to me that Arrow would be interested in anything other than, well, mourning, but if that wasn't it, what _had _brought him here in the first place? As though he knew what I was thinking, he said, "We can't let the events of the past put a hold on our future; taking time to to sort through them in our minds is important, but then we must know how to put our memories away in a special part of our heart and move on."

I had to run that through my head a couple of times before it made sense, and when it finally did, I nodded, my face softening. It wasn't often Arrow said something so profound. "What brought you back, then?" I asked, and again my voice was that old, warmly-familiar, innocent-little-girl voice I hadn't used in over a decade.

"I heard a certain vampiress had her trials coming up," he answered, grinning. "What type of mentor would I be if I didn't come to help train and cheer her on?"

After a second, I smiled my biggest, most sincere smile back. It felt good.

* * *

When the staff collided with my side, I realized that it had been a long time since anything had made such solid contact with me in the Halls of Sport. I landed hard on the floor. I pushed off the ground and sat up, shaking myself off, more rattled by the fall than any of the minor bangs and bruises I had gotten. Arrow hopped of the bars and landed next to me, extending a hand to help me to my feet. I brushed it away and he raised his eyebrows. "Not angry at me because I killed your winning streak, are you, Arra?" he asked, amused. "Didn't I ever teach you sportsmanship?"

"You taught me that sportsmanship is for humans; it's only winners that count in our world," I said gruffly, and he laughed loudly.

"Good to know you were listening!"

"Well it doesn't really matter," I said, getting to my feet. I brushed myself off and said, smiling wickedly at him, "Because I let you win."

"Oh, really?" he said skeptically, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Yes," I nodded, winking at him as we walked out of the Halls of Sport. "It would be disrespectful to hurt my mentor."

"You," he chuckled, clipping me in the shin with his staff, "are the most stubborn vampiress I've ever known."

"I learned it from you," I retorted, hitting him back harder.

He placed a hand on my back and smiled, leading us out into the tunnel. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

**-The End-**


End file.
